\    (■ 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville 
by  William  P.  Carlin 


■-> 


*v. 


€6e  Li&rarp 

of  tfte 

Onit)et0itp  of  Jftottf)  Carolina 


Collection  of  j]2ott&  Caroliniana 
3oim  §>prunt  Mi 

of  tfee  Claeis  of  1880 

Cp970.73 
G23b 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  231 

C2 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BENTONVILLE. 

BY    WILLIAM    P.    CARLIN, 
Colonel  Fourth  United  States  Infantry;  Brevet  Major-General  United  States  Army. 

It  is  not  intended,  in  this  sketch,  to  write  a  history  of 
the  battle  of  Bentonville,  North  Carolina,  the  last  battle 
of  Sherman's  grand  army,  but  to  describe  some  of  the  in- 
cidents of  the  battle,  and,  especially,  such  operations  as 
came  under  my  personal  observation. 

The  left  wing  of  Sherman's  army,  technically  the 
"Army  of  Georgia,"  consisted  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  commanded  by  Major-General 
Jeiferson  C.  Davis,  and  the  Twentieth  Corps  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  commanded  by  Major-General  A.  S. 
Williams.  The  "Army  of  Georgia "  was  commanded  by 
Major-General  Henry  W.  Slocum.  The  right  wing,  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  was  commanded  by  Major-General 
O.  O.  Howard,  and  consisted  of  the  Fifteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth Corps. 

"When  Sherman's  grand  army  marched  from  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  for  the  [North,  through  the  two  Carolinas 
and  Virginia,  the  right  and  left  wings  diverged,  the  right 
wing  crossing  the  Savannah  River  at  that  city,  the  left 
marching  up  the  west  side  of  the  river,  forty  miles,  to  Sis- 
ter's Ferry,  where  it  crossed,  and  entered  South  Carolina. 

The  two  wings  continued  to  diverge,  the  right  men- 
acing Charleston,  the  left  Augusta,  till  they  had  passed 


4 


i 


232  Sketches  of  War  History. 

those  points,  when  they  rapidly  converged  on  Columbia. 
Up  to  this  point,  the  armies  had  met  with  but  little  oppo- 
sition, save  from  the  elements.  Rains  had  fallen  almost 
incessantly ;  the  rivers  were  swollen,  and  the  roads  were 
impassable  for  artillery  and  wagons  for  miles  on  many 
days.  The  troops  corduroyed  the  roads,  in  such  places,, 
with  fence  rails  and  small  trees. 

On  leaving  Columbia,  the  right  and  left  wings  again 
spread  out  like  a  fan,  in  order  to  cover  as  much  territory 
as  possible,  and  again  converged  on  Fayetteville,  ISTorth 
Carolina,  and  there  destroyed  the  fine  arsenal  built  by  the 
United  States  before  the  war,  but  used  by  the  Confederacy 
during  the  war.  Sherman's  movements  having  caused  the 
evacuation  of  Charleston  and  its  forts  by  the  rebel  troops, 
these  had  already  passed  ahead  of  Sherman  into  !N"orth 
Carolina,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-General  ~W.  J. 
Hardee.  From  Fayetteville,  the  right  and  left  wings 
again  diverged,  the  right  keeping  the  direct  road  to  Golds- 
borough,  the  left  the  road  to  Raleigh,  till  near  Averys- 
boro. 

On  approaching  Averysboro,  North  Carolina,  on  the 
16th  of  March,  1865,  there  was  some  sharp  fighting  be- 
tween the  cavalry  and  part  of  our  infantry  force  at  the 
head  of  the  column  of  the  left  wing,  with  Hardee's  com- 
mand, which  delayed  the  march  of  the  left  wing  perhaps 
a  day.  We  crossed  Black  River  on  a  wooden  bridge  con- 
structed by  the  troops  of  the  First  Division,  Fourteenth 
Corps,  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Colonel  George 
P.  Buell,  Fifty-eighth  Indiana,  commanding  a  brigade  in 
that  division  on  the  road  from  Averysboro  to  Goldsboro. 


The  Battle  of  Bevtonville.  233 

On  the  18th  of  March  the  road  was  very  muddy  at 
many  points,  and  there  were  occasional  showers  of  rain, 
relieved  by  a  bright  spring  sunshine,  when  the  showers 
had  passed.  There  was  a  ridge  of  land  on  the  left  of, 
extending  several  miles  along  and  only  about  fifty 
yards  from  the  road.  Occasionally  a  poor  cabin  or 
farm-house,  surrounded  that  morning  by  women  and 
children,  was  located  on  that  ridge.  At  or  near  all 
these  cabins  mounted  men  were  seen  either  watching  the 
troops  on  the  road,  passing  up  toward  the  head  of  the 
column,  or  working  through  the  woods  to  get  a  close 
view  of  Sherman's  troops.  These  horsemen  were  seen 
almost  constantly  near  our  line  of  march  throughout  the 
forenoon  of  the  18th  of  March,  1865.  At  last,  when  it  was 
near  noon,  the  occasional  booming  of  cannon  on  the  road 
ahead  of  the  column  was  heard.  Nearly  every  body  in 
the  army  knew  the  meaning  of  that.  It  meant  an  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  delay  our  march,  by  com- 
pelling us  to  halt,  and  perhaps  form  a  line  of  battle,  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  gaining  time.  If  it  had  been  an  at- 
tack, the  firing  would  have  been  more  vigorous  and  rapid, 
and  probably  some  musketry  would  have  taken  part  in 
the  firing.  Finally,  about  noon,  the  First  Division,  Four- 
teenth Corps,  arrived  at  a  farm  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Cox. 
The  leading  division  for  that  day  had  arrived  earlier,  and 
had  bivouacked  temporarily  for  luncheon,  probably  to 
enable  General  Sherman,  who  was,  up  to  that  time,  accom- 
panying the  left  wing,  to  have  a  conversation  with  Gen- 
eral Slocum  and  the  corps  commanders. 

At  all  events,  Sherman,  Slocum,  and  Davis  were  there 


234  Sketches  of  War  History. 

at  Mr.  Cox's  house,  and  they  were  in  conversation  in  the 
yard  in  front  of  the  house.  When  my  division  had  been 
provided  for,  I  went  to  the  veranda  of  the  house,  and 
took  a  seat  near  Mr.  Cox,  who  was  then  alone,  but  several 
children  were  passing  to  and  fro  between  the  veranda  and 
the  rooms  opening  onto  it.  And  Mrs.  Cox  also  was  there. 
The  entire  family  acted  as  if  they  were  in  the  deepest  dis- 
tress from  fright.  The  children  were  crying.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cox  seemed  to  have  been  weeping,  as  their  eyes  were 
still  red.  I  could  not  see  any  reason  why  this  family 
should  manifest  such  marked  signs  of  trouble  merely  be- 
cause Sherman's  army  was  present.  Mr.  Cox  spoke 
enigmatically,  or  at  least  vaguely.  At  first,  I  supposed 
he  feared  our  troops,  but  I  tried  to  reassure  him  on  that 
point.  It  occurred  to  me  that  the  family  were  hungry 
and  feared  starvation,  and  to  allay  fears  of  this  sort  I  told 
him  I  would  leave  some  subsistence  stores  for  his  family. 
He  replied  excitedly  to  this  offer,  in  these  words :  "  Oh, 
that  won't  save  us."  His  manner  throughout  and  his  in- 
coherent remarks  showed  that  he  expected  some  great 
calamity  to  befall  him  and  his  in  a  very  short  time.  I  be- 
came convinced  that  he  wished  me  to  understand  that  a 
battle  was  to  be  fought  on  or  near  his  farm,  and  that  this 
would  necessarily  endanger  his  family  and  all  his  property. 
I  drew  this  inference,  which,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
conspicuous  activity  of  the  enemy's  scouts,  their  attempt- 
ing to  check  the  head  of  our  column  with  artillery,  and 
the  fact  that  the  rebels  had  been  at  Cox's  just  before  our 
arrival,  was  irresistible.  I  stated  my  convictions  to  Gen- 
eral Jeff.  C.  Davis  then  and  there.     General  Davis  went 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  235 

up  to  General  Sherman,  who  was  then  conversing  with 
Slocum,  and  standing  near  his  horse,  which  had  been 
brought  to  him  by  an  orderly,  and  immediately  said  some- 
thing to  Sherman  which  I  did  not  hear,  but  the  purport 
of  it  could  be  clearly  understood  from  Sherman's  reply. 
It  was  in  these  words,  which  I  heard  very  plainly  :  "  Oh? 
no  ;  they  won't  fight  us  this  side  of  Smithfield  or  Raleigh." 
He  was  very  emphatic  in  this  declaration,  as  I  heard  it 
distinctly,  and  was  deeply  disappointed  when  I  heard  it ; 
I  was  certain  that  General  Sherman  had  made  a  mistake, 
and  that  it  might  prove  disastrous  to  his  army  and  our 
cause.  Sherman  then  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off  to 
join  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  which  was  marching  on 
a  road  said  to  be  six  miles  to  the  east  of  our  road.  Soon 
after  his  departure,  we  resumed  our  march,  and  went  into 
camp  about  three  miles  from  Cox's  farm. 

The  two  armies  thus  continued  their  march  toward 
Goldsborough  on  roads  nearly  parallel,  while,  near  the 
hamlet  of  Bentonville,  General  J.  E.  Johnston  was  pre- 
paring to  fall  on  the  left  wing  of  Sherman's  army  with  all 
the  forces  he  could  concentrate,  including  those  recently 
from  Savannah  and  Charleston  under  Hardee,  those  under 
Bragg,  recently  from  Goldsborough,  North  Carolina,  and 
a  part  of  Hood's  defeated  army  from  the  West,  under 
Stewart  and  Cheatham. 

The  First  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  under  my  command,  was  to  take  the 
advance  on  the  19th  of  March.  The  numerous  indications 
on  the  18th  that  there  was  to  be  a  battle  on  the  19th, 
prompted  me  to  prepare  for  the  occasion,  and  especially 


236  Sketches  of  War  History. 

prompted  me  to  wear  the  newest  uniform  of  my  rank, 
about  which  I  had  been  careless  for  some  time  past.  It 
seemed  to  me  that,  in  the  event  of  death  or  capture,  I 
should  desire  my  rank  to  be  known  by  my  uniform. 

The  morning  of  the  19th  was  a  beautiful  spring 
morning.  A  few  soft  clouds  floated  in  the  sky,  and  a 
gentle  breeze  was  blowing.  In  the  fence-corners  along- 
side the  road,  the  grassy  turf  gave  an  inviting  bed  to  tired 
soldiers,  and  to  those  who  had  halted  and  laid  down  for 
other  reasons  than  fatigue. 

I  was  awakened  on  the  19th  by  musketry  firing  like 
irregular  skirmishing,  and,  on  inquiry,  learned  that  our 
foragers  had  been  checked  only  a  short  distance  from 
camp  by  the  enemy's  pickets.  It  was  the  custom,  under 
orders,  too,  for  all  foraging  parties  to  leave  camp  an  hour 
or  more  sooner  than  the  troops,  as  they  had  to  leave  the 
main  road  and  scour  the  adjacent  country  in  search  of 
provisions,  which  they  would  bring  back  to  points  where 
their  respective  commands  were  expected  to  camp  for  the 
night.  £Tever  before  had  the  foragers  been  checked  so 
near  their  camp.  In  fact,  they  had  not  advanced  more 
than  five  hundred  yards,  before  they  ran  into  a  strong 
picket  from  the  enemy's  army,  and  there  they  halted, 
some  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  others  lying  in  the 
fence  corners  on  the  fresh  green  grass. 

I  continued  at  the  head  of  my  column,  marching  in 
the  road  till  the  foragers  nearest  the  enemy  were  over- 
taken, when  I  was  joined  by  General  Slocum,  who  at 
once  directed  that  half  a  brigade  be  formed  in  line  and 
moved  forward  against  the  enemy,  who  were  concealed  in 


The  Battle  of  Benton  mile.  237 

a  thick  wood  so  completely  that  not  one  could  be  seen. 
I  directed  Colonel  H.  C.  Hobart,  Twenty-first  Wisconsin, 
then  in  command  of  the  First  Brigade  of  my  division,  to 
take  half  his  brigade  and  move  it  in  line  against  the  enemy 
till  he  found  him.  This  order  was  very  promptly  and 
gallantly  executed  by  Hobart  and  two  of  his  regiments. 

It  was  but  a  few  minutes  before  Hobart  struck  a  rebel 
force  (reported  to  be  a  brigade  of  infantry),  which  re- 
treated in  great  haste.  At  this  point,  the  woods  were 
more  open  on  the  left  hand,  and  a  dim  road  led  off  in  a 
north-easterly  direction,  and  passed  about  fifty  yards  to 
the  right  of  a  frame  building  that  looked  like  a  country 
school-house  or  church.  Slocum  directed  me  to  send  a 
brigade  on  this  road,  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoitering 
the  ground  in  that  direction  and  to  the  left  of  the  main 
'road.  I  directed  Colonel  George  P.  Buell  to  execute  this 
order  with  his  brigade.  Buell  continued  to  advance  till 
he  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy.  Unfortunately,  he  had 
under  his  orders  diverged  so  far  to  the  left  of  the  main 
road  that,  when  he  formed  a  line  with  his  brigade,  there 
proved  to  be  a  wide  gap  to  his  right  between  him  and 
Hobart,  when  the  latter' s  brigade  was  brought  up  to  the 
same  line.  It  was  only  about  a  mile  from  our  camp  of  the 
night  before  that  Hobart' s  brigade,  and  the  oflicers  accom- 
panying it,  including  General  Slocum,  General  Davis,  and 
myself,  were  fired  on  by  a  concealed  battery  on  or  near 
the  road,  just  beyond  a  swamp  about  two  hundred  yards 
in  width  and  of  a  depth  then  unknown.  Beyond  the 
swamp,  as  well  as  south  of  it,  the  ground  was  covered 
with  a  thick  growth  of  black-jack  oak  and  pine  trees.     In 


238  Sketches  of  War  History. 

front  of  Buell's  left,  and  some  distance  beyond  his  left 
were  open  fields ;  but  in  front  of  the  right  of  the  regi- 
ments of  his  brigade,  the  thick  growth  of  oak  and  pine 
concealed  the  enemy  and  his  intrenchments  from  Buell 
and  his  men.  Hobart's  brigade  was  halted  near  the  edge 
of  the  swamp,  and  a  battery  was  brought  up  from  the 
rear  and  placed  in  front  of  the  rebel  battery  and  to  the 
right  of  Hobart's  brigade.  The  Third  Brigade,  First  Di- 
vision, commanded  by  Colonel  Miles,  was  placed  in  line  to 
the  right  of  the  battery.  It  was  General  Slocum's  object 
to  develop  the  position  of  the  enemy  by  making  repeated 
assaults  at  different  points  along  the  front,  and  he  gave  me 
directions  to  this  effect.  Colonel  Miles  was  directed  to 
make  the  first  advance  across  the  swamp  and  through  the 
woods  beyond  till  he  should  find  the  enemy's  lines.  Miles's 
brigade  dashed  into  the  swamp  with  their  usual  vim  and 
energy,  waded  across  it,  moved  on  into  the  woods  till  they 
saw  the  enemy's  earthworks,  which  they  assaulted.  The 
loss  of  this  brigade  was  very  great  on  account  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  officers  and  men  who  fell,  among  whom  was 
Captain  Low,  a  fine  soldier  and  promising  man.  The  bri- 
gade was  repulsed,  as  might  have  been  expected,  the  enemy 
having  substantial  breastworks  to  protect  them,  and  being 
able  to  see  our  men,  while  invisible  themselves,  except  when 
they  fired.  I  write  this  from  memory,  and  can  not  here 
give  a  list  of  the  gallant  men  and  officers  who  fell  in  this 
assault. 

Shortly  after  Miles's  assault,  Buell  was  directed  to  ad- 
vance into  the  woods,  and,  if  he  could  find  the  enemy,  to 
assault  him.    There  was  no  swamp  in  Buell's  front,  and  he 


The  Battle  of  Benionville.  239 

executed  the  order  promptly.  He  had  not  advanced  one 
hundred  yards  before  he  found  the  enemy  posted  behind 
strong  earthworks.  He  too  made  an  assault,  which  was 
unsuccessful,  and  resulted  in  the  loss  of  some  valuable 
men  and  officers,  including  Colonel  Eaton,  of  a  Michigan 
regiment.  In  the  meantime,  Morgan's  division  of  the 
Fourteenth  Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  had  come 
up,  and  was  placed  on  the  right  of  mine,  and  General 
Morgan  occupied  some  time  in  fortifying  his  position  in 
front  and  rear,  and  I  heard  at  the  time,  on  both  flanks, 
making  a  pretty  substantial  fortress  around  his  division, 
which  in  the  end  proved  of  immense  value  to  Sherman's 
army,  and  probably  to  Sherman's  reputation. 

A  part  of  the  Twentieth  Corps  had  also  come  up  over 
the  heavy  muddy  roads,  and  Robinson's  brigade  of  that 
corps  had  been  placed  in  the  gap,  previously  referred  to, 
between  Buell  and  Hobart.  It  might  have  been  supposed 
that  the  results  of  the  two  assaults  made  by  two  brigades 
at  points  distant  half  a  mile  from  each  other  would  have 
satisfied  every  body  on  the  ground  that  the  enemy  was  in 
full  force  in  our  front,  and  that  we  were  not  held  in  check 
by  a  cavalry  command.  But  a  statement  published  many 
years  after  the  event,  shows  that  General  Slocum  was  not 
yet  prepared  to  send  intelligence  to  Sherman  that  he  was 
confronted  by  a  large  and  well-commanded  army.  He 
was  convinced,  however,  by  the  following  circumstances. 
When  Buell's  brigade  was  repulsed  from  the  enemy's 
works,  three  soldiers  in  rebel  gray  left  their  lines  and 
passed  over  into  Buell's  ranks,  carrying  their  arms  with 
them.     They  were  brought  to  me  by  the  officer  or  men  to 


240  Sketches  of  War  History. 

whom  they  had  surrendered.  The  spokesman  of  the 
party  insisted  that  he  should  see  the  general  commanding 
our  lines.  He  told  me  that  he  was  from  Syracuse,  New 
York ;  that  he  and  his  two  companions  had  been  Union 
soldiers  and  had  been  captured,  and,  to  avoid  starvation, 
they  had  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  with  the  in- 
tention of  deserting  it  and  joining  the  Union  army  as 
soon  as  an  opportunity  should  present  itself.  He  informed 
me,  also,  that  General  J.  E.  Johnston,  C.  S.  A.,  was  in 
command  of  all  the  enemy's  forces,  and  that  Beauregard, 
Bragg,  Hardee,  and  Cheatham  were  present.  VHe  stated 
that  Johnston  and  Beauregard  had  ridden  through  the 
several  divisions  of  their  army,  and  made  speeches,  cal- 
culated to  incite  the  troops  to  desperate  efforts  to  over- 
throw the  left  wing  of  Sherman's  army.  These  generals, 
he  said,  told  their  plans  openly  to  their  men,  which  were 
to  destroy  the  left  wing,  and  then  turn  on  the  right  and 
destroy  that.  This  information  was  of  such  importance 
that  I  immediately  directed  my  only  remaining  staff 
officer,  Major  J.  E.  Edwards,  acting  adjutant-general,  I 
believe  it  was,  to  take  the  man  to  General  Davis  or  Gen- 
eral Slocum,  and  in  order  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  gave 
the  man  my  only  horse  to  ride  to  either  of  them.  All  of 
my  staff  officers  had  been  dispatched  on  various  duties  ;  all 
orderlies  were  away,  on  duty,  and  I  was  thus  left  alone.  I 
was  also  afoot,  as  well  as  alone.  To  pass  the  time  till  some  of 
my  staff  officers  or  escort  should  return,  I  walked  along  the 
right  of  BuelPs  line,  and  found  that  some  breastworks 
had  been  thrown  up.  They  were  built  of  logs  and  fence 
rails  found  on  the  ground.     I  had  gone  to  the  extreme 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  241 

right  of  Buell's  line,  and  was  standing  by  the  last  man  of 
the  regiment  on  the  right.  He  was  a  very  strong,  tall 
man,  who  looked  like  a  brave  and  true  soldier.  But  he 
acted  as  if  he  were  nervous.  It  may  be,  that  his  regiment 
had  then  received  orders  from  Colonel  Buell  to  fall 
back.  But  what  the  cause  was  I  can  not  pretend  to  say 
positively.  I  noticed,  however,  that  the  rebel  line  had 
advanced  very  closely  to  ours  at  that  point,  and  there 
halted;  and  I  noticed  particularly  three  soldiers  among 
trees  directly  in  front  of  the  man  and  myself.  Thinking 
it  would  steady  his  nerves,  I  took  his  gun  from  his  hand 
and  fired  it  at  the  group  of  men  just  mentioned,  who 
were  not  over  twenty  yards  from  us.  I  then  turned  to 
my  left,  to  return  the  gun  to  its  rightful  bearer.  He  was 
still  there,  and  took  his  gun,  but  there  was  not  another 
Union  soldier  of  his  brigade  or  any  other  command  in 
sight.  He  went  to  the  rear  to  join  his  regiment.  Whether 
he  ever  reached  it  or  not,  I  can  not  say. 

I  turned  to  my  right,  and  saw  the  rebel  flag  flying  at 
the  breastworks  that  had  been  thrown  up  by  Robinson's 
brigade,  Twentieth  Corps.  This  brigade  had  been  sur- 
prised while  still  carrying  rails  to  their  breastworks,  and 
had  gone  to  the  rear.  The  enemy  had  advanced  all  along 
their  line.  Buell  was  not  driven  back.  He  had,  without 
order  or  authority ,  directed  his  brigade  to  fall  back.  Hobart 
was  forced  back,  the  troops  on  his  left  having  left  their 
works.  Miles  had  been  attacked  on  the  left  flank,  and 
forced  back  into  the  woods,  somewhere  near  Morgan's 
division.  As  stated  before,  there  was  not  an  officer,  man, 
or  horse  at  my  disposal. 
16 


242  Sketches  of  War  History. 

The  enemy  had  the  breastworks  both  on  the  right  and 
left  of  my  position,  and  were  not  thirty  steps  from  me. 
My  first  thought  was  to  surrender,  as  it  seemed  impossi- 
ble that  I  could  effect  my  escape,  and  almost  certain  death 
if  it  should  be  attempted.  One  thinks  very  rapidly  while 
facing  great  danger,  and  I  decided  to  make  the  attempt 
to  rejoin  my  command,  or  at  least  to  return  to  our  lines, 
if  I  could  find  them.  Stealing  to  the  rear  at  a  walk,  over 
slightly  descending  ground,  almost  free  from  trees  or 
bushes,  or  obstructions  of  any  kind,  I  was  not  molested 
till  I  had  passed  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  rebel 
lines.  Then  the  ground  ascended  rapidly  for  thirty  yards. 
This,  with  my  conspicuous  dress,  brought  me  into  full  view 
of  the  enemy's  line  in  my  rear.  It  was  then  that  a  regu- 
lar fusilade  from  at  least  a  hundred  guns  was  opened  on 
me,  cutting  the  twigs  and  bushes  all  around  me,  and  throw- 
ing up  black  dirt  around  my  feet ;  even  the  earth  under  my 
feet  seemed  to  be  cut  away  by  the  bullets.  For  the  second 
time  I  was  on  the  point  of  turning  my  face  to  the  enemy, 
and  saluting  him  as  a  captive,  but  a  lull  in  the  tiring  fol- 
lowed the  brisk  fusilade.  I  noticed  some  bushes  about  ten 
paces  in  advance  of  me,  which  seemed  to  invite  me  behind 
them  for  shelter,  and  I  soon  cut  off  the  view  of  the  en- 
emy by  getting  behind  them.  In  any  event,  I  decided 
not  to  '  surrender  till  I  should  be  stricken  down  by  a 
bullet. 

A  few  steps  beyond  these  friendly  bushes  I  was  con- 
fronted by  seven  or  eight  young  Federal  soldiers.  One 
was  a  bright,  handsome  youth  of  nineteen  or  twenty  years, 
with  black  eyes,  black  hair,  and  fresh,  rosy  cheeks.     He 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  243 

asked  me  who  I  was.  I  told  him  I  was  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Carlin,  commander  of  the  First  Division,  Fourteenth 
Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  replied:  "I  am 
proud  to  see  you  here,  General.''  He  asked  the  question : 
"  Can't  we  do  something  to  stop  those  rebels  that  are 
coming  up  here?"  The  enemy's  line  was  then  advancing 
slowly  and  cautiously  but  a  short  distance  from  us.  The 
young  man  told  me  that  he  and  his  companions  had  been 
picking  off'  officers  and  color-bearers  before  I  met  them. 
It  occurred  to  me  that  the  Chinese  system  of  noise  might 
deter  the  rebels  for  a  short  time,  and  check  their  progress. 
In  accordance  with  this  idea,  I  commanded  this  squad  of 
men  to  form  into  line,  and  proceeded  to  give  commands 
in  my  loudest  voice,  as  if  maneuvering  a  battalion,  but 
the  system  did  not  work  well  on  the  enemy.  They  con- 
tinued to  advance  regardless  of  my  commands  and  of  the 
firing  of  my  little  squad.  I  then  directed  these  young 
heroes  to  try  to  find  their  regiments  in  the  rear  and  join 
them.  I  have  always  regretted  not  taking  the  name  of 
the  young  man  who  spoke  for  the  party  on  that  occasion, 
as  his  entire  conduct,  zeal,  courage,  and  brightness  of 
mind  would  have  made  him  a  splendid  officer  in  the  regu- 
lar army. 

It  was  doubtless  to  the  incident  related  above  that 
General  J.  E.  Johnston  in  his  "Narrative"  refers  in  the 
following  quotation,  and  as  the  paragraph  seems  to  de- 
scribe the  assaults  made  by  Miles's  and  Buell's  brigades, 
as  well  as  the  skirmishing  of  the  seven  or  eight  privates 
referred  to  above,  I  will  quote  more  of  it  than  I  had  at 
first  intended. 


244  Sketches  of  War  History. 

"  It  [the  ground  selected  by  General  Johnston  for  the 
battle. — "W.  P.  C]  was  the  eastern  edge  of  an  old  planta- 
tion, extending  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  west,  and  lying 
principally  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  surrounded  east, 
south,  and  north  by  dense  thickets  of  black-jack.  As 
there  was  but  one  narrow  road  through  the  thicket,  the 
deployment  of  the  troops  consumed  weary  time.  Hoke's 
division  was  formed  with  the  center  on  the  road,  its  line 
at  right  angles  to  it,  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  plantation, 
and  its  left  extending  some  four  hundred  yards  into  the 
thicket  to  the  south.  His  two  batteries,  his. only  artillery, 
were  on  his  right,  commanding  the  ground  in  front  to  the 
extent  of  the  range  of  the  guns.  The  troops  belonging 
to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  were  formed  on  the  right  of 
the  artillery.  The  right  strongly  thrown  forward,  con- 
forming to  the  edge  of  the  open  ground.  In  the  mean- 
time the  leading  Federal  troops  appeared  and  deployed 
[First  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps,  A.  C. — W.  P.  C],  and, 
when  so  much  of  the  Confederate  disposition  as  has  been 
described  had  been  made,  their  right  [Miles's  brigade. — "W. 
P.  C]  attacked  Hoke's  division  vigorously,  especially  its 
left,  so  vigorously,  that  General  Bragg  apprehended  that 
Hoke,  although  slightly  intrenched,  would  be  driven  from 
his  position.  He  therefore  applied  urgently  for  strong 
reinforcements. 

"  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  the  head  of  whose 
column  was  then  near,  was  directed,  most  injudiciously, 
to  send  his  leading  division,  McLaws's,  to  the  assistance 
of  the  troops  assailed';  the  other,  Taliaferro's,  moving  on 
to  its  place  on  the  extreme  right.     McLaws's  division, 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  245 

struggling  through,  the  thicket,  reached  the  ground  to 
which  it  was  ordered  just  in  time  to  see  the  repulse  of  the 
enemy  by  Hoke,  after  a  sharp  contest  of  half  an  hour,  at 
short  range.  Soon  after  firing  on  the  left  ceased,  a  similar 
assault  [by  Buell's  brigade. — W.  P.  C]  was  made  upon 
Stewart,  whose  troops,  like  those  on  their  left,  had  al- 
ready constructed  breastworks.  This  attack  was  directed 
mainly  against  Stewart's  own  corps,  commanded  by  Lor- 
ing,  and  Clayton's  division,  by  which  it  was  received  as 
firmly  and  repelled  as  promptly  as  that  just  described  had 
been  by  Hoke's.  Lieutenant-General  Hardee  was  then 
directed  to  charge  with  the  right  wing,  Stewart's  troops 
and  Taliaferro's  division,  as  they  faced  obliquely  to  the 
left,  each  making  the  necessary  change  of  front  in  ad- 
vancing. 

"  As  it  could  be  seen  that  the  Federal  first  line,  except 
its  right,  which  was  hidden  by  woods,  had  thrown  up  in- 
trenchments  like  our  own,  a  body  of  troops  was  prepared 
to  strike  its  flank,  to  lessen  the  danger  of  failure.  [This 
was  the  explanation  Co.lenel  Buell  gave  when  questioned  by 
me  about  withdrawing  his  brigade  from  the  line  of  battle 
before  he  was  really  attacked. — W.  P.  C]  It  was  a  use- 
less precaution,  however,  for  the  result  of  the  charge  was 
not  for  five  minutes  doubtful."  [General  Johnston  as- 
sumes too  much  in  the  above  statement.  Buell  with- 
drew without  awaiting  to  receive  the  charge,  solely 
on  account  of  the  flanking  force  "  prepared "  by  Gen- 
eral Johnston;  at  least  he  gave  no  other  reason  for  his 
action. — "W.  P.  C]  "  The  Confederates  passed  over  three 
hundred  yards  of  the  space  between  the  two  lines  in  quick 


246  Sketches  of  War  History. 

time,  and  in  excellent  order,  and  the  remaining  distance 
in  double  quick,  without  pausing  to  fire  until  their  near 
approach  had  driven  the  enemy  from  the  shelter  of  their 
intrenchments,  in  full  retreat  to  their  second  line.     .    .    ." 

"  Some  distance  in  the  rear,  there  was  a  very  thick 
wood  of  young  pines,  into  which  the  Federal  troops  were 
pursued,  and  in  which  they  rallied,  and  renewed  the  fight." 
This  last  quotation  must  have  referred  to  the  rally  of  the 
seven  or  eight  men,  and  their  desultory  firing,  to  which  I 
referred  above.  I  have  made  the  liberal  quotation  from 
"  Johnston's  Narrative,"  because  it  so  singularly  confirms 
what  I  had  written  from  memory,  before  I  had  even  read 
the  narrative.  I  will  now  return  to  my  personal  expe- 
riences. 

After  dismissing  the  squad  of  seven  or  eight  men,  I 
turned  to  my  left,  in  hopes  of  finding  the  main  road  on 
which  I  had  advanced  in  the  morning,  and  in  walking 
about  forty  yards  came  to  the  edge  of  the  brush  border- 
ing the  road.  But  it  was  fully  occupied  by  a  Confederate 
line  of  troops,  which  was  advancing  as  steadily  and  calmly 
as  if  regiments  on  review.  In  front  of  the  line  was  an  of- 
ficer mounted  on  a  horse.  Near  him  a  man  mounted  on 
a  mule,  probably  an  orderly  or  bugler.  He  carried  an  old- 
fashioned  horse-pistol  in  his  hand,  which  was  levelled  at 
me.  He  left  the  road  and  started  directly  for  me.  I  was, 
perhaps,  thirty  steps  from  him.  I  backed  into  the  bushes 
again  and  he  discontinued  his  pursuit.  Fortunately,  he 
did  not  fire.  By  this  time,  I  was  fatigued  almost  to  ex- 
haustion. Continuing  my  walk  parallel  to  the  road,  in  the 
bushes,  for  about  one  hundred  yards  further,  I  discovered 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  247 

two  fully  harnessed  artillery  horses  tied  to  a  tree.  The 
picture  of  a  brigadier-general,  in  uniform,  riding  a  har- 
nessed horse  without  a  saddle,  and  entering  our  lines, 
came  vividly  to  my  mind  and  forced  a  smile  which,  how- 
ever, no  one  else  could  see.  I  resolved  to  brave  the  laugh- 
ter that  would  greet  me,  and  crossed  the  road  to  the 
horses,  intending  to  untie  one  of  them  and  mount  him. 
Untying  the  horse  proved  to  be  a  very  difficult  operation. 
I  tugged  away  at  it  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  made  no 
progress. 

While  at  this  work  I  took  a  glance  along  the  road  to- 
ward the  enemy,  and,  sure  enough,  there  he  was,  again  si- 
lently advancing  up  the  road.  Giving  up  the  idea  of  rid- 
ing, I  walked  along  the  road  for  about  one  hundred  yards, 
and  there  was  delighted  to  find  a  line  of  Union  troops 
across  the  road.  I  saw  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  occu- 
pying that  part  of  the  line,  and  informed  him  that  the  en- 
emy were  not  a  hundred  yards  from  him.  In  a  very  few 
minutes  a  volley  was  fired  by  this  regiment  and  the  en- 
emy was  repulsed.  This  second  line  of  our  troops  was 
formed  by  the  Twentieth  Corps.  I  found  Hobart's  and 
Buell's  brigade,  my  staff,  and  my  horse,  that  I  had  missed 
and  needed  so  much,  some  two  hundred  yards  in  the  rear 
of  the  Twentieth  Corps  line.  After  this  experience,  I 
don't  think  I  would  again,  under  similar  circumstances, 
have  sent  my  only  horse  to  carry  a  deserter  from  both 
armies  to  the  commanding  general,  however  important  his 
information  may  have  been.  But  this  incident,  according 
to  General  Slocum's  published  statement,  furnished  him 
good  reasons  for  sending  messengers  in  search  of  General 


248  Sketches  of  War  History. 

Sherman  to  inform  him  that  the  left  wing  had  been  at- 
tacked by  the  enemy  in  force.  Miles's  brigade,  of  the 
First  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps,  when  overwhelmed  by 
superior  forces  of  the  enemy  in  their  charge,  was  forced 
off  to  the  south-east  of  its  position,  into  a  swampy  forest. 
Hobart's  brigade  had  been  overpowered  too,  and  flanked 
out  of  position,  and  fell  back  till  it  had  passed  the  main 
line  formed  by  the  Twentieth  Corps.  Buell,  as  before 
stated,  had  withdrawn  his  brigade  on  his  own  responsibil- 
ity. The  First  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps,  was  the  ad- 
vance guard  of  the  left  wing.  To  it  fell  the  duty  of  de- 
veloping the  position  of  the  enemy's  line  lying  beyond  a 
dense  wood,  and  it  had  to  make  detached  assaults,  which 
were  gallantly  made. 

The  narrative  of  General  Johnston,  commanding  the 
enemy's  army,  and  the  long  list  of  officers  and  men  killed 
and  wounded,  attest  their  courage  and  fidelity  to  their 
cause.  The  official  reports  show  that  the  heaviest  loss  of 
life  was  in  the  First  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps,  and  on  the 
19th  of  March,  1865.  They  had  no  time  or  opportunity 
to  throw  up  elaborate  breastworks.  They  were  drawn 
out  into  a  thin  line,  with  at  least  one  gap  of  four  hundred 
yards  (later  on  filled  by  a  brigade  of  the  Twentieth  Corps), 
in  order  to  keep  the  enemy  in  check  till  the  troops  in  rear 
could  come  up  and  form  a  line  of  battle.  ]STo  other  troops 
were  placed  on  the  left  of  the  First  Division  when  they 
arrived  on  the  field ;  probably  one  brigade  more  would 
have  preveuted  Johnson's  flanking  operation  and  Buell's 
withdrawal  without  waiting  for  the  enemy's  charge.  It  is 
not  probable  that  the  enemy  would  have  passed  the  line 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  249 

occupied  by  the  First  Division  if  another  brigade  had  been 
on  Buell's  left,  unless,  indeed,  the  surprise  of  Robinson's 
brigade  had  opened  a  gap  which  could  not  have  been 
filled.  The  battery  that  was  captured  by  the  enemy  did 
not  belong  to  my  division,  and  was  not  placed  under  my 
command.  General  Sherman's  official  report  published  in 
the  newspapers  stated  that  I  had  lost  a  battery.  I  wrote, 
him  a  letter  requesting  a  correction  of  the  report,  but 
never  received  a  reply. 

There  was  one  incident  of  the  battle  of  Bentonville 
that  has  ever  since  been  a  mystery  to  me.  After  finding 
Buell's  and  Hobart's  brigades,  subsequent  to  their  retire- 
ment from  the  front  line,  and  having  again  a  staff  to  assist 
me  and  a  horse  to  ride,  I  started  out  in  the  woods  to  the 
front  and  right  to  hunt  up  Miles's  brigade.  The  sun  was 
getting  low,  and  the  shadows  of  the  trees  fell  over  the 
ground  and  all  other  objects,  including  men.  I  had  rid- 
den not  over  two  hundred  yards,  when  I  came  upon  a 
regular  skirmish  line,  the  skirmishers  being  about  ten 
steps  apart  and  with  arms  at  an  "  order."  iSTot  doubting 
that  it  was  a  Federal  line,  I  rode  through  it,  without  pay- 
ing particular  attention  to  the  color  of  their  clothes ;  and 
in  fact,  the  shadows  of  the  trees  would  have  made  it  diffi- 
cult to  distinguish  a  dark  and  dusty  gray  from  a  faded 
and  dusty  blue.  The  men  took  no  notice  of  me.  This, 
of  course,  would  have  prevented  me  from  suspecting  that 
they  were  Confederates,  as  they  were  not  accustomed  to 
allowing  Union  officers  or  men  to  pass  unchallenged  or 
unhurt  through  their  lines.  But  after  getting  to  their 
rear  a  short  distance,  the  strangeness  of  their  conduct  in 


250  Sketches  of  War  History. 

letting  me  pass  unnoticed,  caused  me  to  suspect  that  they 
might  not  be  Union  soldiers ;  and  then  I  scanned  the 
color  of  their  uniforms  as  closely  as  was  possible  in  the 
darkened  woods.  It  became  a  certainty  that  the  color  ot 
their  clothes  was  gray,  and  that  they  were  rebel  soldiers, 
and  that  I  was  a  prisoner  if  they  should  choose  to  make 
me  one.  Knowing  that,  if  I  continued  to  the  rear  in  that 
direction,  I  should  ride  into  their  main  lines,  I  resolved  to 
take  the  only  chance  of  escape,  and  rode  directly  back 
through  the  line,  passing  so  near  to  one  slender  little  Con- 
federate that  I  could  have  placed  my  hand  on  his  head 
if  I  had  been  disposed  to  be  familiar,  which  I  was  not. 
He  did  not  even  raise  his  eyes  to  look  at  me,  though  I 
rode  a  horse  that  never  failed  to  attract  the  notice  of  all 
soldiers — a  gray  stallion,  named  Rosy,  in  honor  of  General 
Rosecrans.  I  could  not  avoid  feeling  kindly  to  those  men 
for  permitting  me  to  pass  out  of  their  lines,  when  it  was 
so  easy  for  them  to  kill  or  capture  me.  A  few  steps  from 
this  skirmish  line,  I  met  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  and 
warned  him  that  he  was  riding  into  a  rebel  skirmish  line. 
He  looked  at  the  men  who  were  nearest  him,  and  in  his 
emphatic  way  said  :  "  ]STo, ,  they  are  not."  Then  ad- 
vancing a  few  steps,  he  said  :  "  Yes,  they  are, ."     He 

then  directed  an  aide-de-camp  to  bring  Colonel  Cogswell's 
regiment  of  Massachusetts  troops  to  that  point,  and  to  say 
to  Colonel  Cogswell  that  the  enemy  must  be  driven  away. 
It  was  but  a  few  minutes  before  Cogswell  had  a  regiment 
there.  A  volley  or  two  were  fired  by  him.  I  again  en- 
tered the  same  woods  in  search  of  Miles's  brigade.  In- 
stead of  men  standing  in  a  straight  line,  I  found  them 


The  Battle  of  Bentonville.  251 

dead  on  the  ground,  or  reclining  against  trees,  desperately 
wounded.  One  case  was  painful,  horrible  to  behold — a 
poor  Confederate  sitting  on  the  ground,  but  resting  his 
body  against  a  tree.  He  was  trying  to  say  something,  but 
could  not  utter  an  intelligible  sound.  While  in  that 
wood,  it  seemed  to  me  that  one  was  as  liable  to  be  killed 
by  his  friends  as  by  the  enemy. 

Johnston's  narrative,  as  well  as  Sherman's  official  re- 
ports and  utterances,  show  that  the  chief  losses  occurred 
on  the  19th  of  March,  and  in  the  First  Division,  Four- 
teenth Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  was  recalled  and  arrived  on  the  20th,  and 
the  fighting  on  the  Federal  side  was  done  principally  by 
that  army  on  the  20th  and  21st  of  March.  The  First  Di- 
vision was  placed  in  line  of  battle  again  on  the  21st,  but 
had  no  occasion  to  attack  the  enemy  or  defend  itself,  as 
the  enemy  was  preparing  to  retreat. 

On  the  22d,  we  resumed  the  march  to  Goldsborough, 
North  Carolina,  where  we  arrived  on  the  23d,  and  where  I 
was  prostrated  by  sickness,  the  result  of  exposure  and  fa- 
tigue on  the  march,  and  especially  in  the  battle  of  Benton- 
ville. 

September,  1889. 


252  Sketches  of  War  History. 


ON  THE  RIGHT  AT  ANTIETAM.* 

BY    RUFUS    R.    DAWES, 
Brevet  Brigadier-General  United  States  Volunteers. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  September  16, 
1862,  General  Hooker's  army  corps  began  to  cross  Antie- 
tam  Creek.  The  Pennsylvania  Reserves  crossed  on  the 
bridge  above  Keedysville,  while  General  Doubleday's  di- 
vision, to  which  I  belonged,  forded  at  a  shallow  place 
below.  The  troops  advanced  slowly  toward  the  Sharps- 
burg  and  Hagerstown  Turnpike.  We  passed  over  open 
fields  and  through  orchards  and  gardens,  and  the  men 
filled  their  pockets  and  almost  empty  haversacks  wi:h 
fruit.  Shortly  before  dusk,  sharp  musketry  and  cannon- 
ading opened  in  our  front.  The  men  said  the  Reserves 
"  had  waked  the  animals  up."  It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock 
at  night  when  our  brigade  reached  the  positiou  a'  3> 
to  it.     The  men  laid  down  upon  the  ground,  foi  :n 

close  column,  muskets  loaded  and  lines  parallel  i  e 

turnpike.     Once  or  twice  during  the  night,  heav^     o    „,,.. 
of    musketry   crashed    in   the    dark   woods    on'  <  % 

There  was  a  drizzling  rain,  and  with  the  certain  ,ct 

of  deadly  conflict  on  the  morrow,  the  night  v»  nal. 

*  At  the  battle  of  Antietam,  the  writer  of  this  paper  yi  ■  of 

the  Sixth  Wisconsin  Kegiment.     The  regiment  was  in  Gt  i 

Gibbon's  brigade,  General  Abner  Doubleday's  division,  Ger  ph. 
Hooker's  army  corps. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032727087 

FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


.r-OL-^-J*- 


x_      ^i 


\t 


** 


